


The Snowman

by TheSteinsGateFormula



Series: The life and times of growing up with an education obsessed and traumatised school Principal [5]
Category: Assassination Classroom
Genre: A snowman - Freeform, Angst, Asano Gakuhou's Bad Parenting, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Let the boy build a goddam snowman
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-06
Updated: 2020-11-06
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:47:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27409834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSteinsGateFormula/pseuds/TheSteinsGateFormula
Summary: When he was seven, Gakushuu decided to build a snowman.
Series: The life and times of growing up with an education obsessed and traumatised school Principal [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2054904
Comments: 7
Kudos: 119
Collections: Asano Gakushuu Centric





	The Snowman

**Author's Note:**

> So this is a oneshot based off something briefly mentioned in my other story.

When he was seven, Gakushuu decided to build a snowman.

He’d seen the kids at school doing it once the first good layer of snow had started to fall.

Gakushuu didn’t like the snow while it was actually falling since the frost would sting his skin and he didn’t like how the snowflakes would get in his eye when he was walking home from school. But, he did like it when the snow would settle as a warm white blanket on the roofs and the ground. It looked soft.

His cheeks started to grow numb the longer he pressed it against the glass of his bedroom window.

The back lawn was covered in a thick mass of snow for a good five days now, completely untouched.

Gakushuu frowned when he glanced at the Optimus Prime transformers clock on his desk which was next to a large stack of books and study sheets. It was nearly 11am which meant he could probably get a snowman built in an hour tops before lunch, maybe even less if he worked fast.

He pulled away from the window and sat back on his bed where his timetable for the day was organised. It was December 28th, which meant there were no competitions or school to attend so his schedule was only eight periods of studying and practising essential mental and motor skills.

His fingers gripped the paper tightly, as his face scrunched up in determination.

His dad was always telling him he had to fight to get what he wanted in the world because that’s what the strong did.

Gakushuu moved off the bed and grabbed the test sheets he’d finished and grabbed the stopwatch off the desk.

“Great leaders are good negotiators,” he told his Transformers clock, smiling when he pressed the button and it played the theme tune.

When he went downstairs to find his dad, he headed to the man’s office like he always seemed to be these days.

 _It didn’t always use to be like that_ , the thought came with memories, but he quickly pushed it to the side when thinking about them made his chest hurt.

His dad told him dwelling on the past too much was a distraction, and distractions were bad. People who were easily distracted failed.

“What do you want, Gakushuu?”

Gakushuu jumped a little when he heard his dad speak from the other side of the door.

He hadn’t even knocked yet…

His cheeks heated up faintly as he walked into the office with the test sheets in hand. “I finished.”

Dad was sat behind his desk reading a book, and then glanced up when he walked in. “Time?”

Gakushuu grinned, holding up the stopwatch. “Thirty minutes!”

“Hm.” His dad’s expression didn’t change, he looked back at his book. “I assumed you would have done it in twenty.”

_It was four test sheets!_

His smile faded quickly, but he tried not to scowl, walking over he placed the test sheets on the desk. “I finished early.” He took out the schedule and pointed at the time. “I finished studying so that means there’s a gap. See?” Gakushuu hesitated when his dad’s expression didn’t change. “…I want to go outside.”

Dad raised an eyebrow. “Do you need to exercise?”

He frowned. “No…”

His dad looked at him expectantly. “Then why do you need to go outside?”

Gakushuu shifted on the spot. “Because I…” He squared his shoulders. “In the backyard, I want to build a snowman and—”

“No.” Dad went back to reading. “You’re not building a snowman in the backyard.”

His shoulders lowered, growing confused. “Why not?”

Dad turned a page of his book. “Because there’s no point to it.”

“But…” His brow furrowed, growing restless when his chest started to hurt. “Everyone else gets to. All the other kids—”

His dad snapped the book shut. “ _Gakushuu_.”

He tensed, shutting his mouth.

Dad sighed, narrowing his eyes at him. “Come here.”

Gakushuu scrunched his hands up in the hem of his thick jumper, before walking around the desk to face him.

His dad regarded him blankly for a moment. “All the other children are mediocre lambs who are mentally deficient. Is that what you want to be?”

He grimaced, trying not to think of the kids who were always friendly and nice to him at school. “…No.”

“Do you want to be a person who wastes time on meaningless distractions?”

Gakushuu shook his head. “No…”

“Do you want to be a leader?”

He nodded quickly. “Yes!”

The seconds passed by when his dad stared at him passively before reaching out to place a hand on his head, something he hadn’t done in months.

“Do you want to be strong?”

“Yes!”

Gakushuu nodded, leaning into his dad’s hand, wanting to hug him but knowing better. His dad said it would be coddling, which was bad because children shouldn’t be coddled because it made them weak.

“A strong mind is nothing if it’s left to rot,” dad told him evenly, staring at him intently. “A leader is weak if he mindlessly follows the direction of the masses in idleness.” He smiled thinly. “Is that the future you want, Gakushuu?”

“No.” He hastily shook his head, lowering his gaze when he felt some shame for even alluding to the idea.

He wasn’t a failure…

Dad chuckled softly, his grip tightening briefly until Gakushuu winced. “Then don’t get distracted.” He patted his head one last time before removing his hand to open the desk drawer. “Since you have more time, you can be productive.”

Gakushuu grimaced a little when he saw the thick stack of test papers slapped on the desk.

*******

“Focus.” Gakushuu mumbled to himself as he glared at the test papers, writing down the answers as fast as he could. “ _Focus.”_

He fidgeted with the pencil when his hand started to hurt, tearing his gaze away from the test paper to massage his wrist. The bright light from outside distracted him briefly, the whole neighbourhood was covered in more snow than earlier.

He stared at the window for a while, wondering how the snow looked so soft. He wondered if it felt like cotton but colder…There was snow on the window…

Gakushuu hesitated, before walking over to the window and opening it so he could grab a heap of snow in his hand. It stuck together easily which was different to how it had felt at school where it had been icy and hard.

There was so much of it he was certain he could make a snowman as tall as his dad—

No.

He quickly stopped the train of thought, glancing at the door warily like his dad would burst in any moment.

Dad had already said he wasn’t allowed to build one in the backyard and he’d get in trouble if he disobeyed him.

Gakushuu scowled petulantly when he started to get frustrated.

It’s not fair!

He kicked the wall, wanting yell. Wanting too…

Then he frowned, considering something.

His dad had said he wasn’t allowed to build a snowman in the _backyard_ , but he never said anything about not building it on the roof!

*******

The roof was the perfect place.

It was _more or less_ completely flat with only a small curve, and it was the only place outside that didn’t have any cameras, so his dad wouldn’t see him. He liked going up there sometimes so he could see the stars.

He wasn’t disobeying if he didn’t get caught!

Gakushuu felt excited, feeling a rare thrill make him grin as he climbed out of his bedroom window and used the ropes and hooks he had from the Junior Rock Climbing club competition to clamber onto the roof.

It wasn’t even scary because he’d climbed a whole mountain bigger than his house. The roof was a little slippier though because of the snow, so he had to be careful.

He started gathering the snow in his arms when he found a firm spot in the middle of the room, smiling as the snow easily clumped together; he was going to make a snowman as tall as his dad since there was plenty of snow around.

He spent time gathering more snow around him, building up the first base of the body and shaping it carefully. All the snowmen in the pictures had perfectly round bodies, so he made sure the ball of snow was perfect, smoothing down any lumps and making sure the snow wasn’t muddy.

His feet slipped a little when he steadied the ball of snow which was nearly as tall as him.

He grinned, his cheeks pink from the cold as he hugged the large ball of the snow; it felt cold but firm to touch, like he was hugging a real person.

Gakushuu pulled away when the cold started to hurt his skin. He frowned when he looked at the ball of snow, now only realising that it might not be possible to make a snowman as tall as his dad on his own. He was too short.

There was a long pause as he started to feel lost, the cold air creeping under his warm clothes and making him shiver.

But, the strong didn’t give up! They kept going no matter how difficult it got, that was what separated them from the weak!

If he wanted to be strong like his dad, he had to persevere.

He gritted his teeth, ignoring the cold as he moved to gather more snow off the roof.

He couldn’t give up after going to all this effort, and it wasn’t like anyone would help him finish. He had to do this himself.

He just needed to get more snow, move it around, and carefully roll—

His foot slid against the wet roof, falling off the edge, making his stomach flip and the air knock out of him when he fell and hit the snowy ground with a snap of his leg.

*******

The white snow made everything cold and blinding when he opened his eyes which were fogging up with tears.

“—Gakushuu!”

His leg hurt.

“You stupid—”

His head hurt.

“Gakushuu, don’t—”

His ears hurt too when his dad yelled, shaking badly when the pain started to become unbearable.

“—Just hold on.” His dad was holding him close like the other kid’s parents did when they picked them up from school. “Stay awake. Everything will be fine.”

Gakushuu closed his eyes and snuggled into his dad as he was carried from the ground and delicately placed into the back of a car.

“Everything will be fine.” His dad kept repeating all the way to the hospital until Gakushuu passed out.

*******

Gakushuu chewed on the lollipop silently, keeping his gaze low while his dad glared at him from the armchair next to his bed by the window.

A nurse at the hospital had given him a lollipop to suck on after they’d put his leg in a thick cast and bandaged up the bruise on his head. They were nice and one of them had kissed him on the top of his head when she’d wiped away his tears.

“We’ll have to cancel your martial arts tournament,” Dad said coldly, his knuckles white when he gripped the armrest. “ _And_ the swimming competition.”

Gakushuu flinched, feeling sick as he stayed quiet, avoiding the look of disappointment and anger on his dad’s face.

“What on earth were you even doing up there?”

He swallowed a lump in his throat, the sweetness of the lollipop souring in his mouth. “…Climbing.”

“ _Climbing?”_ Dad’s voice was terse like a rope ready to snap. “How could you be so…?” His dad took a deep breath. “You will not endanger yourself like that again. _Do you understand_?”

Gakushuu nodded quickly, scrunching up the blanket on his lap and then replied in a small voice, “yes…” He stole a glance at the man and cringed when he saw the frosty look he was getting. “I’m sorry, dad.”

“Apologies are an admittance of failure,” his dad told him stiffly, standing up. “A failure caused by your own stupidity.”

“I know…”Gakushuu winced, feeling his eyes sting as his dad placed a firm hand on his shoulder. “I won’t do it again.”

His dad was right. He felt so stupid.

Dad squeezed his shoulder hard, before lessening his grip and sighing. “There are some papers I need to sign for your release.” He scowled. “I trust in you can manage to not injure yourself further while I’m gone?”

Gakushuu ducked his head, nodding solemnly as his dad left, leaving him in silence with a bunch of empty hospital beds.

He looked outside and watched a fresh set of snowfall, making him shiver when everything that had been appealing about it just felt hard and cold.

He crunched the lollipop in his mouth when it was chiselled down to a small bead of candy.


End file.
